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We're sure you heard it by now, but Chris Pratt and Chris Evans made one cool bet on Superbowl XLIX over Twitter. Apparently, the two are hardcore fans of each of the teams and pitted themselves up against each other for a great cause.
Pratt rooted for the Seahawks and Evan for the Patriots and they set the stakes via Twitter.
Things got a little intense:
@ChrisEvans We both know there's only one Captain America and his name is Russell Wilson. #SuperBowlBound #LOB #Repeat
— chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) January 19, 2015
Then they made a little wager on the game.
They ended up deciding that if the Seahawks won, Evans would visit Seattle Children's Hospital dressed up as Captain America, and if the Patriots came out on top, Pratt would visit Christopher's Haven dressed as Star-lord in a Tom Brady jersey
@ChrisEvans OK. Seahawks win you fly yourself to Seattle, visit @seattlechildren hospital as Captain America, waving the 12th man flag.
— chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) January 21, 2015
@prattprattpratt I accept. And when the Patriots humiliate your seachickens, I expect Star-Lord to arrive at @chris_haven in a Brady jersey
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) January 21, 2015
They even asked people to donate to their charity of choice, by having them side #teampratt or #teamevans.
With the New England Patriots' win last night, also came Evan's moment of glory, but the two great men have agreed to serve out this admirable bet together:
Congrats to the world champions @patriots you were the better team tonight. I will be visiting @chris_haven as Starlord. #twitterbowl
— chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) February 2, 2015
Thank you to @prattprattpratt for being a good sport. I'll be there with you at @chris_haven, and don't worry @seattlechildren, we'll be
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) February 2, 2015
coming there too! And lastly, I don't think anyone can ever doubt the mental toughness of Tom Brady. Tough couple weeks, but he showed why
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) February 2, 2015
We may not be surprised by their generosity, but it sure is good to witness!

Marvel movie superheroes Chris Evans and Chris Pratt are using their football fan rivalry for good by challenging each other to a Super Bowl bet for charity. The actors' hometown teams are going head to head in the big game on 1 February (15), with Evans' New England Patriots facing off against Pratt's reigning Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks.
Captain America Evans started taunting the Guardians of the Galaxy star on Twitter.com on Monday (19Jan15), the day after the Patriots clinched a spot in the Super Bowl with a convincing victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Evans wrote, "Well, well, well @prattprattpratt, looks like our teams are going into battle. For the next 2 weeks, you are not my friend, you are my enemy."
Guardians of the Galaxy star Pratt, who posted shots of himself at the Seahawks game online, replied, "We both know there's only one Captain America and his name is (Seahawks quarterback) Russell Wilson."
Evans decided to take the rivalry to the next level by proposing a friendly bet between them, and wrote, "them's fightin words. Stakes?"
Pratt then suggested that if the Seahawks win the big game, Evans would have to visit the Seattle Children's hospital dressed as Captain America, waving the team's signature '12th Man' flag.
Evans accepted the bet and wrote back that if the Patriots "humiliate your seachickens", Pratt would be expected to don his Star-Lord costume and add a replica of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's jersey and visit Boston's Christopher's Haven centre, which provides a home for kids battling cancer.
Pratt accepted, and replied, "You're on sucka (sic)."

Were you paying attention to the big screen and all the Hollywood happenings in 2014? We thought we'd kick off the New Year with a quick look back over the last 12 months of WENN movie news and pose a few questions to one and all that might just help you recall some magical moments at the cinema, or some hot gossip from the year just gone.
The prize for the winner? Bragging rights and a front row seat to the 2015 Oscars in your own living room! Best of luck!
1. The Fault in Our Stars was based on a book written by which author?
a. John Green
b. John White
c. James Green
d. James Brown
2. What song did not feature on the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy?
a. I'm Not in Love
b. Mama Told Me Not to Come
c. Spirit in the Sky
d. Hooked on a Feeling
3. From which hit animated movie did the catchy tune Everything is Awesome come?
a. Muppets Most Wanted
b. The Lego Movie
c. How to Train Your Dragon 2
d. Mr Peabody and Sherman
4. Game of Thrones star Kit Harington starred in which epic disaster film based on true events?
a. Godzilla
b. 300: Rise of an Empire
c. Hercules
d. Pompeii
5. The son of which longtime Hollywood couple starred alongside Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in 22 Jump Street?
a. Colin Hanks, son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
b. Oliver Hudson, son of Bill Hudson and Goldie Hawn
c. Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
d. Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn
6. Which of the following was not a cast member in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?
a. Andy Serkis
b. James Franco
c. Jason Clarke
d. Gary Oldman
7. Get On Up was a biopic based on the life of which legendary musician?
a. James Brown
b. Stevie Wonder
c. George Clinton
d. Smokey Robinson
8. Which Hollywood veteran portrayed the family matriarch in This Is Where I Leave You?
a. Anjelica Huston
b. Jane Fonda
c. Bette Midler
d. Dame Judi Dench
9. Which musical did The Amazing Spider-Man star Emma Stone make her Broadway debut in?
a. Chicago
b. Cabaret
c. Wicked
d. Les Miserables
10. Which one of these celebrities was NOT part of Ellen DeGeneres' famous 'selfie' taken during the 2014 Academy Awards?
a. Channing Tatum
b. Kevin Spacey
c. Matthew McConaughey
d. Jared Leto
11. Which actress celebrated her one-year wedding anniversary to her tennis pro husband on New Year's Eve?
a. Ashley Tisdale
b. Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting
c. Naya Rivera
d. Ginnifer Goodwin
12. Who will play the villain in the next James Bond movie?
a. Quentin Tarantino
b. Mark Strong
c. Christoph Waltz
d. Bryan Cranston
13. Which country do the two actors who played Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma come from?
a. England
b. France
c. Canada
d. America
14. Who rang in 2014 with Charlize Theron and has since become her boyfriend?
a. Sean Penn
b. Chris Pratt
c. Mark Wahlberg
d. Joaquin Phoenix
15. Name new mum Scarlett Johansson's daughter.
a. Kate
b. Jane
c. Apple
d. Rose
16. Which famous Jessica played Matthew McConaughey's grown-up daughter in Interstellar?
a. Jessica Alba
b. Jessica Biel
c. Jessica Chastain
d. Jessica Lange
17. Which Brit picked up the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May for his portrayal of grumpy artist J.W. Turner?
a. Colin Firth
b. Timothy Spall
c. Ray Winstone
d. Alan Rickman
18. What was the highest grossing movie of 2014?
a. Transformers: Age of Extinction
b. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
c. Guardians of the Galaxy
d. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
19. Which awards season favourite was filmed over 12 years?
a. Boyhood
b. Birdman
c. Foxcatcher
d. Selma
20. In what film did Jennifer Lawrence debut her singing voice, scoring a chart hit all around the world?
a. Silver Linings Playbook
b. American Hustle
c. X-Men: Days of Future Past
d. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
21. What is the bestselling music soundtrack on iTunes this year?
a. Frozen
b. Annie
c. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
d. Guardians of the Galaxy
22. He ended 2014 a newlywed with a hit movie, called The Theory of Everything. Name the British actor who married fiancee Hannah Bagshawe in England on 15 December.
a. Benedict Cumberbatch
b. Timothy Spall
c. Eddie Redmayne
d. Colin Firth
23. Why did model-turned-actress Milla Jovovich announce she was putting the next film in her Resident Evil franchise on hold in August?
a. Script problems
b. Financial issues
c. Her director husband Paul W.S. Anderson had abandoned the movie
d. She was pregnant
24. In 2014, this actor played Moses and became a new dad. Name him.
a. Joel Edgerton
b. Chris Pratt
c. Christian Bale
d. Mark Wahlberg
25. Another new dad, Chris Hemsworth, was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2014, but who's the lucky actress, the mother of his kids, who gets to cuddle up to him every night?
a. Eva Mendes
b. Elsa Pataky
c. Scarlett Johansson
d. Jessica Alba
ANSWERS:
1. a
2. b
3. b
4. d
5. d
6. b
7. a
8. b
9. b
10. c
11. b
12. c
13. a
14. a
15. d
16. c
17. b
18. a
19. a
20. d
21. a
22. c
23. d
24. c
25. b

Celebrities including Tom Hiddleston, Naomi Campbell and Nigella Lawson have taken snaps of themselves as they wake from sleep for a new fundraising campaign on social media. Russell Brand's socialite ex-girlfriend Jemima Khan kicked off the United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) new drive, in which participants are encouraged to take a picture or video of themselves moments after they wake and post it online with the hashtag 'WakeUpCall'.
Khan, an ambassador for UNICEF U.K., writes in a post on Twitter.com, "Please help make my campaign to raise awareness & money for Syria's 6.5 million children affected by the conflict a success... Post a video of your #wakeupcall or a photo of yourself first thing and donate to UNICEF."
The Avengers star Hiddleston uploaded a photo showing himself with messy hair and a hooded jacket as he squints at the camera. Other celebrities taking part include British models Campbell and Daisy Lowe, British actors Stephen Fry and Keeley Hawes, and celebrity chef Lawson.
Money raised will go to UNICEF's Syria Emergency Fund. Organisers hope to recreate the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge, a social media craze which raised $98 million (£61 million) for motor neurone disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Lou Gehrig's disease, in just one month.

These celebrities are advocates for #HeForShe (and Emma Watson). HeForShe is a “solidarity movement for gender equality.” It is a campaign led by UN Women, that encourages men all over the world to speak out against the inequalities faced by women and girls. Emma Watson invited these men to the table with an amazing speech, in which she said, “I’m inviting you to step forward, to be seen, and to ask yourself…if not me, who? If not now, when?”
See what male celebrities have already spoken out in support of this movement:
Harry Styles
I'm supporting @UN_Women and @EmWatson in #HeForShe As should you.. pic.twitter.com/RYtM4SKkqN
— Harry Styles (@Harry_Styles) September 25, 2014
Tom Hiddleston
.@EmWatson you are impeccable &amp; extraordinary. I stand with you. I believe in gender equality. #heforshe pic.twitter.com/xXQsyJ7WfP
— Tom Hiddleston (@twhiddleston) September 24, 2014
"Both men &amp; women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men &amp; women should feel free to be strong". @EmWatson: http://t.co/SWOSIsRuu0
— Tom Hiddleston (@twhiddleston) September 24, 2014
Chris Rankin
As a #HeForShe, I'm committed to #genderequality. I invite you to stand with me. @HeForShe http://t.co/BAFUlCHY3H
— Chris Rankin (@chrisrankin) September 24, 2014
Matthew Lewis
So proud of @EmWatson. From the girl I grew up with to the inspirational woman she is today. I'm with you. #heforshe pic.twitter.com/0j316BBznB
— Matthew Lewis (@Mattdavelewis) September 24, 2014
Kevin Durand
Stand up for your women. Stand up for your men. Stand up for equality. #heforshe pic.twitter.com/r2oY4sR6Kv
— Kevin Durand (@onemightytree) September 24, 2014
Chris Kluwe
Why do I support #heforshe? Because I have a wife, a sister, daughters, a mother; and they are just as capable and valuable as I am.
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) September 24, 2014
Logan Lerman
My friend @EmWatson delivered a powerful speech to the UN http://t.co/yWtW3mjqBh I support equality. #HeForShe pic.twitter.com/gCNTK1BNvx
— Logan Lerman (@LoganLerman) September 23, 2014
Chris Colfer
#HeForShe is a great cause to get behind! Please check it out. So proud of @EmWatson! pic.twitter.com/lJrUWcmPEo
— Chris Colfer (@chriscolfer) September 23, 2014
Simon Pegg
Husband to a wife, father to a daughter, son to a mother. You bet I'm on board, @EmWatson! #heforshe pic.twitter.com/5SyIKIbCZo
— Simon Pegg (@simonpegg) September 23, 2014
Douglas Booth
I am a passionate supporter of gender equality. @EmWatson @HeForShe @UN_Women pic.twitter.com/IpudHsNpu3
— Douglas Booth (@DouglasBooth) September 20, 2014
Gregg Sulkin
Emma Watson. I applaud you. http://t.co/7sTF6KsQKx
— Gregg Sulkin (@greggsulkin) September 23, 2014
Joseph Gordon Levitt
And speaking of #Feminism, @EmWatson is doing a great project called #HeForShe. Go check it out http://t.co/vSrNTdFY3Q
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) September 22, 2014
But he’s been a very active feminist for a while now!
Trying to hash tag #Feminism, 1st autofill on twitter is "#FeministsAreUgly." http://t.co/jjLMQ67bzl
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) September 22, 2014
Neil Galman
As a feminist and a human being, I agree with @emwatson (read her speech) @UN_women #heforshe (pic by @amandapalmer) pic.twitter.com/prm1O2LRUg
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 23, 2014
Forest Whitaker
Proud to support the #HeForShe campaign of @UN_Women pic.twitter.com/BVMoJ4oJph
— Forest Whitaker (@ForestWhitaker) September 20, 2014
Luke Pasqualino
I'm committed to #genderequality. I invite you to stand with me. @HeForShe http://t.co/HUC3Q6qZBb @EmWatson pic.twitter.com/VukH9a51No
— Luke Pasqualino (@LucaPasqualino) September 24, 2014
Luke Newberry
Brilliantly said @EmWatson #Freedom #HeForShe pic.twitter.com/TtNBRHLhGm
— Luke Newberry (@lukenewberry) September 23, 2014
James Van Der Beek
Guys, @EmWatson really got it right. Gender equality isn't about taking a side, it's about human dignity for all. It's evolution #HeForShe
— James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) September 23, 2014
Russell Crowe
pic.twitter.com/Ai100HhxTT
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) September 24, 2014
We salute these men for speaking out in support of equality and hope to see more stars, and regular folk like us, join in with them!
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Fox Searchlight Pictures via Everett Collection
Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman fought back tears as she paid tribute to her father at his funeral in Sydney, Australia on Friday (19Sep14).
Dr. Anthony Kidman died last week (ends14Sep14) after suffering a fall while visiting the actress' sister Antonia in Singapore, and family members gathered in their home city of Sydney to pay their last respects at his memorial service. The Oscar winner was joined by her husband Keith Urban and fellow actor Russell Crowe for the funeral at St Francis Xavier Church, and she gave an emotional eulogy paying tribute to her beloved dad.
Kidman revealed her father was a huge support after she split from ex-husband Tom Cruise in 2001, telling the congregation, "He was the father that was on a plane, hours after I got divorced, to come and take care of me, staying with me for weeks for as long as I needed. He was also the father who would when I was crying always tell me 'Nicki, it's going to be OK'... He was a man that was always there for me, a thinker, my confidant, my friend and my protector."
Kidman then sang Amazing Grace with her country star husband Urban, while he and Crowe were also among the pallbearers at the funeral.

Sons Of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam and Downton Abbey actor Dan Stevens have reportedly emerged as the frontrunners to take on the lead role in a long-delayed remake of John Carpenter's sci-fi classic Escape From New York. The Walking Dead's Jon Bernthal is also said to be in consideration to tackle the part of anti-hero Snake Plissken, the character made famous by Kurt Russell in the 1981 original, according to Starlog.com.
Jeremy Renner and British movie tough guys Tom Hardy and Jason Statham were all previously linked to the reboot, which has been in the works since 2010.
Producers at Silver Pictures have yet to secure a director to take on the job, although Breck Eisner, Len Wiseman and Brett Ratner have all been attached to the project in recent years.

Universal Pictures via Everett Collection
There are some actors that we love to hear sing. In fact, we've compiled a list of a few performers' voices that we can't get enough of. Then there are others that really just shouldn't be given the opportunity to sing on screen. Some of them are truly terrible and some others are just misguided, but here's our look at the worst singing performances in movies.
Pierce Brosnan, Mamma Mia!
There's a reason that they used to dub actors' singing voices in musicals (Hello, Marnie Nixon!), and Brosnan is the poster child for revisiting the practice. He looks terrific in the Mediterranean locales and linen suits of Mamma Mia!, but his singing is bad enough that it almost deserves its own separate category.
Russell Crowe, Les Miserables
It's hard to know exactly what the producers were thinking when they cast Crowe in Les Miz, beyond just that he sort of looks right for the role of Inspector Javert. He certainly doesn’t sound right. Most of the rest of the cast can legitimately sing, so tossing the Gladiator star into the mix was all the more jarring.
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
There are actually worse vocal performances in Tim Burton's film about the "Demon Barber of Fleet Street"… Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham Carter to name two. The issue with Depp's singing is that he can't seem to figure out what to do with his accent. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not, and sometimes it morphs into a little bit of Keith Richards/Jack Sparrow.
Alec Baldwin, Rock of Ages, or...
...Tom Cruise, Rock of Ages
We tried to pick which was worse… Baldwin singing "I Can't Fight This Feeling" with Russell Brand or Cruise singing "I Want to Know What Love Is" with Malin Akerman. There was no consensus since they're both about as bad as anything you'll ever see in a movie musical. Feel free to watch them and see if you can decide... if you can make it all the way through either one.
Drew Barrymore, Music and Lyrics
We love Barrymore, really we do. She's adorable and sweet and we like having her around. It's just that her voice is a little too thin for her to be singing on camera. We thought so in Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You and we thought the same thing in her rom-com with Hugh Grant.
Michael Caine, The Muppet Christmas Carol
Okay, so it's a Muppets movie, we get it. Kermit and Miss Piggy aren't the best singers either. But both Tina Fey and Amy Adams have proven that just because you're surrounded by felt doesn't mean that you have to sing poorly. In the grand tradition of British stage actors, Caine just kind of talks his way through his singing parts. Not all traditions are good.
Cameron Diaz, My Best Friend's Wedding
Yes, the script called for her to be intentionally bad… and, by that standard, this is a dynamite performance. You know that you're in a rom-com when the crowd at a karaoke place starts going nuts for someone butchering a Dusty Springfield song.
Edward Norton, Everyone Says I Love You
This is kind of a shame, because it's clear that Norton really enjoys singing. He tosses himself into the musical performance with gusto, treating it like it's the prison cell scene from Primal Fear… which is what makes him such a good actor. It just doesn't make him a good singer. Based on Keeping the Faith and his Motorola commercial, however, it does seem like he'd be more fun at a karaoke bar than Diaz.
Adam Sandler, The Wedding Singer
Here's the mistake that a lot of people make… just because Sandler sings a lot doesn't mean that he's a good singer. We admire the fact that he likes to do it and we laughed at "The Turkey Song" and "The Hanukkah Song" on Saturday Night Live, same as everyone else… but there are limits to how much of Sandler's man-child voice that we can take. He is, however, welcome to continue serenading Barrymore once every 10 years as he did recently on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Sometimes even bad singing is sweet.
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DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
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Columbia Pictures via Everett Collection
Another weekend, another awards show, and another chance to predict the outcome of the Oscar race. This time, however, a wrench was thrown into the works when three different films took home the Best Picture title from two different academies, both of whom are considered to be excellent indicators of the Oscar race. On Saturday, the SAG Awards awarded American Hustle with Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Traditionally, the film that wins the top prize at the SAGs takes home Best Picture on Oscar night — although in recent years, their choices have not always lined up perfectly with the Academy. But before anyone had the chance to officially declare American Hustle to be the new front runner, the Producers Guild Awards hit back on Sunday, when they declared the Best Picture of the year to be a tie between 12 Years a Slave and Gravity. And just like that, the Oscar race was once again, anyone's game.
However, over the course of awards season, its become clear that the final fight for the Best Picture Oscar will come down to those three films. Last week, we aimed to predict which film had the best shot at the award based on title alone. But now, we're moving onto more substantial matters. We've seen that flashy performances entertain SAG-AFTRA, while emotional impact carries more weight with the Producers Guild, but what about the Academy? We've decided that the best way to find out is to look back at the history of the awards, and compare the previous winners to the current front runners in order to determine which one will best appeal to the Academy's sensibilities.
You can also head over to BBC America to check out this fantastic infographic that predicts the Best Picture winner!
GENRE All three films are completely different in terms of genre and tone, but which one has the edge when it comes to the Oscars? - American Hustle, Crime and Comedy: 8 crime dramas have won Best Picture over the course of the Oscars' history: In the Heat of the Night, Midnight Cowboy, On the Waterfront, The French Connection, The Godfather, The Sting, The Godather II, and The Departed. In addition, 7 comedies have take home the top prize, including It Happened One Night, You Can't Take It With You, The Apartment, Tom Jones, The Sting, Annie Hall, and The Artist.- Gravity, Sci-Fi and Thriller: No sci-fi films have ever actually won Best Picture, although 6 of them have been nominated over the past 86 years. However, 4 thrillers have won: Rebecca, Silence of the Lambs, and No Country for Old Men, and Argo.- 12 Years a Slave, Historical Drama: The Academy Awards have a long history of rewarding dramas, including 26 histories: All Quiet on the Western Front, Cimarron, Cavalcade, Mutiny on the Bounty, Life of Emile Zola, Gone With the Wind, Hamlet, Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Tom Jones, A Man for All Seasons, Oliver!, Patton, The Sting, Chariots of Fire, Amadeus, Out of Africa, The Last Emperor, Dances With Wolves, Schindler's List, Braveheart, The English Patient, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, Gladiator, The King's Speech, The Artist, and Argo.
SUBJECT MATTERIt's not just dramatic films that tend to win over the Academy; often, there are certain topics or subjects that they tend to prefer over others. - American Hustle, Crime: As stated above, 8 films dealing with crimes, swindlers and hustlers have won Best Picture. - Gravity, Survival: The Academy has proven that they enjoy stories of survival, even against all odds, and have crowned 5 suvivalist films Best Picture: On the Waterfront, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Oliver!, Schindler's List, and No Country for Old Men.- 12 Years a Slave, Overcoming Adversity and Race Relations: Stories of adversity have always done well at the Oscars, with 11 films winning the top prize: Mutiny on the Bounty, The Life of Emile Zola, Gentleman's Agreement, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Rocky, Gandhi, Schindler's List, Gladiator, Million Dollar Baby, Slumdog Millionaire, and The King's Speech.Another 5 films that deal with race relations in America in a major way have won Best Picture, including Gone With the Wind, In the Heat of the Night, Gandhi, Driving Miss Daisy, and Crash.
ACTING NOMINATIONSIt's always a good sign for a film when they mange to get nominated in the four acting categories, but does a "Big Four" nomination guarantee a win? - American Hustle, 4 Nominations: American Hustle took home the most Oscar nominations, including one each in the four acting categories. In the past, 8 films that received four acting nominations have taken home Best Picture: Mrs. Miniver, From Here to Eternity, Gone With the Wind, Gentlemen's Agreement, The Godfather, Rocky, Kramer Vs. Kramer, and Chicago. - Gravity, 1 Nomination: Despite Gravity tying for the most Oscar nods this year, Sandra Bullock is the lone acting nominee. However, plenty of Best Picture winners have only had one nominated performance in the past - 15 of them, to be exact: The Broadway Melody, Cavalcade, The Great Ziegfeld, The Lost Weekend, In the Heat of the Night, Patton, The Sting, Chariots of Fire, Ghandi, Out of Africa, Rain Man, Crash, The Departed, No Country For Old Men, and The Hurt Locker.- 12 Years a Slave, 3 Nominations: This year, Chiwitel Ejiofor is up for Best Actor, while Lupita Nyong'o and Michael Fassbender are nominated in the supporting categories. Three has proven the magic number for 17 previous winners: Mutiny on the Bounty, Rebecca, Going My Way, All the King's Men, Marty, The Apartment, My Fair Lady, Midnight Cowboy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Deer Hunter, Ordinary People, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances With Wolves, The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Million Dollar Baby, and The King's Speech.
Fox Searchlight Pictures via Everett Collection
LOCATIONSometimes, the Oscars have the same philosophy as real estate, and it's all about location, location, location. But what's the most beneficial place to set your film?- American Hustle, New York: The film is in good company, with 14 Best picture winners taking place in the Big Apple: The Broadway Melody, The Great Ziegfeld, The Lost Weekend, Going My Way, All About Eve, On the Waterfront, Marty, The Apartment, West Side Story, Midnight Cowboy, The French Connection, The Godfather, Annie Hall, and Kramer Vs. Kramer. - Gravity, Space: No film set in outer space has ever won the Oscar for Best Picture. - 12 Years a Slave, The American South: South of the Mason-Dixon line is a popular setting for movies, and 5 of those were lucky enough to be awarded Best Picture: Gone With the Wind, In the Heat of the Night, Driving Miss Daisy, Forrest Gump, and No Country For Old Men.
TIME PERIODEverybody knows that the Academy loves a period piece more than anything else... or do they? - American Hustle, 1970s: For this category, we looked at films that were made in 1980 or later, but set in the 1970s, as American Hustle is. It may have narrowed down the field some, but there are still 3 winners: Platoon, Forrest Gump, and last year's Best Picture winner, Argo. - Gravity, Modern Day: There have been a great deal of Oscar-winning films that, like Gravity, were set in the same time period as the film's release. In fact, this has been the case for a grand total of 31 Best Picture winners: Grand Hotel, It Happened One Night, You Can't Take it With You, Going My Way, The Lost Weekend, The Best Years of Our Lives, Gentleman's Agreement, All The King's Men, All About Eve, An American in Paris, On the Waterfront, Marty, The Apartment, West Side Story, In the Heat of the Night, Midnight Cowboy, The French Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rocky, Annie Hall, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, Terms of Endearment, Rain Man, Silence of the Lambs, American Beauty, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, The Departed, No Country For Old Men, and The Hurt Locker.- 12 Years A Slave, 1800s: Between the reign of Queen Victoria, the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, the ninettenth century has provided the inspiration for 8 winners: Cimarron, Gone With the Wind, Around the World in 80 Days, Tom Jones, Oliver!, Amadeus, Dances With Wolves, and Unforgiven.
RUNTIME- Both American Hustle and 12 Years a Slave have the distinct advantage in this category, with runtimes of 138 and 134 minutes, respectively. If one of them wins, they would join 24 other films whose runtime has been between 121 and 140 minutes. For the most part, the Academy ends to favor movies around this length, although the award usually tends to go to the longest film nominated, which could spell trouble for these two front runners (fellow nominee The Wolf of Wall Street beats them both at 179 minutes).- Gravity is the shortest film in the running for Best Picture at only 91 minutes long. However, that doesn't mean it has no chance of winning, as 4 films with runtimes between 81 and 100 minutes have won the top prize in the past: Marty, Annie Hall, Sunrise, and Driving Miss Daisy.
Warner Bros. Pictures via Everett Collection
DIRECTORSAll three directors have achieved or are set to achieve milestones if they take home the Best Director award. What kind of influence will that have on the Best Picture race?- American Hustle, David O. Russell: This is Russell's second nomination, but its also the first time in the history of the Oscars that a director has earned all four acting nominations two years in a row (after last year's Silver Linings Playbook). That kind of star power could sway the votes in his favor, as he's proven twice now that he can deliver excellent performances from big name actors. - Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron: After winning the Golden Globe, Cuaron seems to be the front runner for the Best Director race; if he wins Best Director, that could be a good sign for the film as a whole. In the last 86 years, 62 films have won both the Best Director and Best Picture award, proving, on a whole, that the two tend to go hand in hand. Plus, if he wins, he will be the first Spanish director to win an Academy Award. - 12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen: Like Cuaron, McQueen is a first-time nominee, and if he wins, he would be the first black man to win the Best Director prize. That kind of history-making impact could help sway the Academy, and thus, ensure a Best Picture win for 12 Years a Slave.
Your Best Bet: Based on the winners of the past, it looks like 12 Years a Slave has the best chance of winning on Oscar night, with an ideal runtime, the best amount of acting nominations, and both a genre and subject matter that the Academy tends to enjoy rewarding. Of course, since anything can happen once the awards are tallied, there's still a chance one of the other films can sneak in and win. But for now, we'd reccommend you go for 12 Years a Slave when it comes time to fill out your Oscar ballot.
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